


The Fall that Changed it All

by drinkin_n_drawin



Category: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Comfort/Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-06-29 01:10:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15718827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drinkin_n_drawin/pseuds/drinkin_n_drawin
Summary: A lot of changes are coming to the Island of Sodor. For a certain old number two tender engine, his whole world is about to be turned upside down.





	1. Can't shake that sinking feeling

After Edward moved into the shed with Philip, James got pretty lonely. He missed Edward so much. Every night James would sneak out to meet up with Edward to spend some time together since they were too busy during the day with their long list of duties on the railway. Tonight, however, something seemed off as Edward made his way back to the small shed he shared with Philip. The whole day he didn't see James, even when they were super busy, Edward would at least see a flash of James going by on the tracks or hear his whistle off in the distance, but today he saw nor heard a thing from James. Edward quietly backed into the shed next to Philip, who was already fast asleep. 'Okay I'm just worrying too much... James is fine... he was probably just busy... he'll be around soon...' the old engine thought to himself as he looked out into the night, expecting to see the light of James' lamp shining through the darkness anytime now, but the red tender engine never showed up. Soon it was morning and the sun began to rise over the hills in the distance. Poor Edward didn't get any sleep. He tried to, but that sinking feeling gnawed at him the whole night. He knew something was wrong.

Once the sun was up, it didn't take Philip long to wake up and snap Edward from his thoughts. "GOOOOOOOD MORNING, SHED-MATE!!!! HAVE A NICE SLEEP?! HAVE ANY GOOD DREAMS?! CARE TO DISCUSS THEM WITH ME?!" Philip eagerly exclaimed, a little too loudly. "Philip, please! You're being too noisy!" Edward snapped. "Oh.. sorry, Edward.. got a little too excited.. heh." The small diesel boxcab chuckled, quickly rushing off to begin his day. Edward was a bit slower than usual doing his jobs that morning, his mind elsewhere. 

"Get outta my way, Edward.. You're old and slow!" Gordon whistled, crossed because he was stuck behind the number two tender engine, who was only moving at a snail's pace. Edward didn't say a word, he didn't even acknowledge Gordon. The old steam engine was still deep in thought, his mind refusing to quit racing around James. 'I still haven't seen or heard from James yet again today.. where could he be...? Why does everyone not seem to care that he's gone..? I miss James...' Gordon let off a lot of steam now, blowing his whistle louder. "Oh for the love of..... EDWARD MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!!!!" Gordon screamed this time. Edward shuddered, being brought back to reality again. "S-sorry, Gordon!" He shakily spoke going off into a siding to let Gordon by. "IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE A USEFUL ENGINE, EDWARD, THEN I SUGGEST YOU TAKE YOUR SORRY TENDER TO THE SCRAPYARD!!!" Gordon lectured Edward as he zoomed by on the other track. Edward rolled his eyes, deciding to take a rest. He was exhausted and soon fell asleep.

  A little while later, Edward was woken up by a familiar voice. "Edward? Edward please wake up..." Edward yawned, slowly blinking his tired eyes to get them back into focus. "There we go.. are you okay?" The voice softly spoke. "O-oh... Sir Topham Hatt, sorry about falling asleep like that." Sir Topham Hatt looked at Edward, concerned. "Edward.. you didn't answer my question. Are you okay?" The Fat Controller asked once again. It wasn't like Edward to behave in such a manner. "Yeah.. I'm just..  worried about James is all. I haven't seen him in awhile.." Sir Topham Hatt let out a chuckle. "You needn't worry about, James, Edward. He's fine. I sent him to do a job on the mainland. He should be back tomorrow."  Edward's face lit up and soon a big smile showed. "Oh! That's wonderful news, sir!" He exclaimed happily. "Yes.. now, please hurry on your way, Edward. You're running behind on your jobs." The Fat Controller reminded him. Edward whistled, chugging off to finish his jobs for the day, but deep in the back of his mind that sinking feeling still sat there, he decided to ignore it for now.


	2. I don't feel very splendid anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James has gotten himself into a terrible mess and he wonders if he'll ever get himself out of it as extreme regret and guilt takes over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this next chapter is gonna center around James, then the story will go back to focusing on Edward. Also John and Gus are my OCs. They are James' fireman and driver.

'Oh why did I do it..? Why did I have to race around like that..? It hurts so much...' Those thoughts rushing around James' mind as he tried opening up his eyes, but he found it impossible. They were swelled shut. He wish he knew where he was at, he needed help urgently. The pain was too much and he was left without a driver or fireman to aid him. He felt the tears stinging his eyes as the pain and emotions hit him at once. "J-John...? Gus? Are you okay?" Silence was the only thing that came after that question. "Please answer me...." James sobbed, fearing the worst. John and Gus had been there with him since the beginning when he arrived on Sodor, he couldn't even imagine losing them, but reality was hitting him square in the face. They were gone.

The accident kept playing over and over in his mind. The sound of metal mangling, the intense heat from his boiler blowing up as the sharp rocks gashed holes in his red-painted body, and the screams, oh the screams of his driver and fireman. It all happened so fast, they couldn't jump out of James' cab in time. Their screams echoed around James' thoughts. It haunted him so much. To him, it was worse than the physical pain he felt.

~~

"C'mon, John.. can't I go just a bit faster?" James begged as he steadily clanked down the track. He was done with the job the Fat Controller gave him and he wanted to have a little fun. "Heh heh, now James, y'know I love racing just as much as you do, but we really need to be careful this time. One more accident and Sir Topham Hatt will lock you in the shed for good." John chuckled, patting the side of James' cab as he looked out at the tracks ahead.  "Awe now, John, it won't hurt to have a little fun.. after all, we're on the mainland and the Fat Controller ain't around to watch us." Gus laughed, shoveling more coal into James' firebox. "Exactly! Listen to Gus! He knows what he's talking about." James chimed in. "Oh is that so..? Well if he's so smart, then hows come he's the fireman and I'm the driver. It doesn't take an ounce of brains to shovel coal into a firebox.. a trained monkey could do it. However, a driver is smart.. he knows everything. That's why he's put in charge of his engine." Boasted John, teasing Gus in the process. "How would you like this shovel up your arse?" Gus growled, glaring at John. "Now, Gus the Bus, y'know John is only teasing ya... not that I'm complaining." James laughed, taking a stab at teasing his fireman too.

 "You just won't let James go faster because you're afraid of the Fat Controller..." Gus smirked. ".... Excuse me?! That's a load of rubbish and you know it!" John retorted. The fireman busted up laughing now, along with James. "Why does he scare you so much? Is it because you've caused so much, confusion and delay?" James snickered, doing his best impression of Sir Topham Hatt when he mentioned, confusion and delay. "You two think you're soooooo funny...." James' driver huffed, rolling his eyes, but his anger was soon replaced with laughter as he looked over at Gus, who followed James' actions, impersonating the Fat Controller.

 "Haha.. o-okay, maybe I was a little scared of that chubby controller, but you're right.. we're on the mainland, we worked hard these last couple of days, and we deserve to have a little fun." John smiled, releasing the brake. "ALRIGHT!!! HERE WE GO!!!!" James howled, rushing down the tracks, going as fast as he could.  John and Gus laughed like crazy, enjoying the wild ride. The scenery passed by in a blur as James kept going faster and faster. Little did they know of the trouble up ahead.

James closed his eyes, enjoying the wind rushing across his face and back over his metal body. "I'VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!!! WOO HOO!!!" he screamed, not paying any attention to where he was going. The mainland was unfamiliar territory to James and his crew of two. They've only been there a couple of times after James arrived on Sodor, so they had no clue about the landscape, other than it was mainly open land and hills as far as the eyes could see. They had no idea that they were heading to an old, abandoned track. It was closed for a reason. It lead up a very steep, rocky hill. and it was very dangerous.

James felt the track getting bumpier and that's when he opened his eyes back up. James gasped when he saw the old, worn out track in front of him. It was covered in stones and small trees. James yelped, causing John and Gus to peek outside of James' cab again. They quickly applied the breaks, but it was too late. James was going too fast to stop before reaching the worst part of the abandoned track. James' front wheels hit a large tree root which sent him off the track and down the steep hill into the jagged rocks below. John and Gus knew it was too late to try and bail out, so they huddled together in the middle of the cab. Their efforts made no difference as a huge, sharp rock gouged the side of James' boiler, causing it to explode. They were killed almost instantly.

~~

Drip, drop, drip, drop. Jamed felt the cold precipitation hit his face as it began to rain, snapping him out of his thoughts. He sighed in a little bit of relief. The rain felt good on his sore face and it put out the rest of the smoldering fire around his mangled body. He was wondering how long it would take before someone would find him. He was hoping it would be soon. By this time, it was dark now and a thick, misty fog covered the landscape, hiding James in the deep valley he plunged down earlier. He tried to remain positive, thinking about Edward, but he was more worried about him than himself. "Poor Edward must be worried sick about me... he doesn't deserve this.. I should've listened to his advice about being careful after my last accident. He's too good to me and this is how I act? Ohhh.. I'm such an idiot." He groaned.


	3. Have you seen this red tender engine?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James still has not arrived back on this Island of Sodor and many people are starting to wonder what has happened to the splendid, red engine.

Back on the Island of Sodor, Edward had finished his jobs for the day and decided since James was away, he'd sleep in his spot at Tidmouth Sheds instead of staying with Philip tonight. He needed a break from the little, gabby diesel boxcab. "Edward! Hello! What a nice surprise to see you here." Thomas beamed, happy to see his old friend again. "Hello Thomas, is it alright if I stay in James' spot tonight?" He kindly asked the little, blue tank engine. "Of course! We'd be glad to have you back for tonight." Thomas answered. Edward's smile grew even wider as he slowly backed into James' spot in the shed. It felt very comfortable and familiar to him. He could even smell the faint scent of James' burnt coal still wafting through his part of the shed. Each engine burned coal slightly different than one another, causing each engine to let off a different scent that was unique to them. Edward sighed happily, blushing a bit now. Thomas and Percy noticed his blushing and giggled to themselves. It didn't take long for Edward to fall asleep this time, drifting off into a peaceful dream about James.

"Edwaaaaard~ oh Edwaaaaaard~ Hey, wake up.. its morning." Thomas giggled, trying to stir the old tender engine awake. Edward let out a yawn, slowly opening up his eyes. His driver and fireman had already started a fire in his firebox. Edward let out a chuckle. "Goodmorning Thomas, thank you for waking me. I probably would've slept the whole day if you wouldn't have woken me up." Thomas smiled. "It's no problem. I'll see ya a little bit later. I gotta go get Annie and Clarabel now." Thomas whistled, chugging away.

It took a few minutes to get Edward's firebox going enough to make steam. Once he had enough steam, he slowly clanked out of the shed and made his way to the yard to shunt some cars. He made sure to look and listen for James' arrival, but he never showed up. That bad feeling grew more and more in the pit of his boiler again. He tried to push the thoughts out of his mind, focusing on his task of shunting the cars. Edward wasn't the only one getting that sinking feeling about James. Sir Topham Hatt was sitting in his office, tapping his pen on his desk, looking out the window every so often, expecting to see the bright red tender engine speeding in, shouting his trademark, 'Heeeeeressss James!', but almost the whole day went by without hearing a word from James, John, or Gus. "Even if they had a delay, John and Gus would've contacted me by now.." the Fat Controller mumbled to himself, pacing the floor now.

Thomas soon came to a stop at the station, dropping off the last of his passengers. The Fat Controller quickly rushed outside to talk to the number one tank engine. "Thomas, have you seen James? Did he come back to the island?" He asked. "No, sir... no one has seen him." Thomas answered. "Oh dear, oh dear... this is bad... I'm afraid something has happened to him." Sir Topham Hatt, mumbled. "Oh no... poor Edward..." Thomas gasped, knowing it would upset the him. "Thomas, please don't mention any of this to Edward. I had a bad enough time snapping him out of his worries for James yesterday and that's before I knew something was wrong. As far as Edward knows, James is still on the mainland, running behind on his work. It needs to remain that way. I hate to lie to him, but I need to figure out what's going on and Edward panicking about James will only make things worse." The Fat Controller rambled on. Thomas nodded, remaining quiet as he went to take Annie and Clarabel back to their resting spot for the night.

Little did Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt know, Edward was already a worried mess again. He knew something was wrong. James could be foolish and irresponsible at times, but not to the point where he would run off and never come back. The blue engine quickly rushed around the island, now looking for James to see if he possibly came back. Thomas passed Edward on the track. "Edward? What are you doing???" He asked him. Edward payed no attention to him, rushing on by. Thomas quickly got to the junction, turning around and going back after Edward. He had never seen him rush that fast before. "EDWARD!!!! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" he shouted, chugging up next to him. "Finding James!" Edward cried, having tears in his eyes. 'Oh no..' Thomas thought to himself, deciding to let Edward go for now. He had to find Sir Topham Hatt. Hopefully he could calm Edward down.

Thomas hurried down the tracks now as fast as he could, trying to make it back to Knapford Station before the Fat Controller went home for the night. He came to a screeching halt once he reached his destination. "Sir! SIR!!! PLEASE COME HERE QUICKLY!!!" Thomas shouted, blowing his whistle very loudly. The Fat Controller came rushing out of his office, nearly tripping over his own two feet. "What in the world is the matter, Thomas?!" He replied. "It's Edward! He's panicking about James!" Thomas huffed out, exhausted from his quick trip back to the station. "Oh dear.. we've got to find him." Sir Topham Hatt responded, getting into Thomas' cab. Even though the little, blue tank engine was tired, he was determined to help his friend Edward. He quickly sped off with the Fat Controller, in search of the worried steam engine.

Tears kept streaming down Edward's face as he continued his search for James. He nearly covered half the island now and he was getting more and more worried by the second. Charlie his driver and Sidney his fireman tried calming him down in an attempt to stop him, but it was no use. Edward wouldn't even let them use his brakes, he refused to stop. The old engine panted, his worn wheels creaking as he hurried down the track. He wasn't meant to be going this fast this long. It was causing damage to his body.

Thomas soon spotted Edward and went faster to catch up to him. "Edward! You need to stop!" The fat Controller shouted from Thomas' cab. "I can't! I have to find James!" Edward retorted, trying to get away from Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt, but it was no use. Thomas may have been smaller, but he was a lot younger and could easily keep up with Edward. "Edward, please! You're going to break down if you don't stop!" The Fat Controller warned him. "I don't care! It doesn't matter! I need to find James! I need to know he's okay!" The number two engine sobbed. "James isn't here, Edward! You can't help him by doing this! He's on the mainland still! He wouldn't want to see you get hurt!" Thomas spoke up. "Then I'll go to the mainland!" Was all Edward said before a loud snap was heard coming from his body. Metal parts and pieces started falling out from under Edward as he began to shudder and slow way down. It didn't take long before he came to a complete stop, letting off a bunch of steam. Edward tried to move again, but it was no use. He was broke down. All he could do now was sit there on the tracks and cry.

Thomas slowed down, stopping next to Edward. He wanted to say something to comfort him, but he couldn't find the words. "Thomas.. we better go get help so we can take Edward to the Steamworks. He'll be okay for now with Charlie and Sidney." The Fat Controller whispered. Thomas quietly chuffed off, not saying a single word the whole time.


	4. Some broken engines can never be fixed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward is now at the steamworks for repairs, but there is just some things that cannot be fixed with tools and parts. A broken heart being one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a pre warning. There is gonna be a bit of time hopping from here on out. I tried to make the time skips clear when I put them in each paragraph/chapter they're in so you guys won't get too confused.

The Steamworks was bustling as usual as Thomas brought Edward in on a flatbed railcar. Everyone stopped, staring as they watched Edward continuing to sob. He never did stop the whole way there. Sure Edward had broken down before, but to the point of actually crying? It seemed so bizarre to everyone, especially since they didn't know the actual reason why he was crying, yet. Sir Topham Hat hopped out of Thomas' cab, walking over to Victor and telling him about the situation. "Oh.. I see, sir... well rest assured, we'll take good care of Edward here while you go find James." Victor smiled slightly. He knew it wasn't going to be an easy job. Sure fixing an engine's physical problems were no trouble, but trying to fix an emotional problem, that was next to impossible in a lot of cases. 

Victor took in a deep breath, trying to think of a way to approach Edward without making him more upset. Many possible scenarios ran through his mind. He had to choose one eventually, but he really hoped he would choose the right one. Soon enough, Victor made his choice of words and approached Edward, who was now hoisted up in the air to be worked on. "Ah, Edward, my friend. It's so nice to see you again. We haven't spoken in awhile." Victor smiled, trying his best to ease gently into a small conversation with Edward. The blue tender engine paid no mind to Victor, still having tears trickling down his face and hitting the floor below.

 After a few moments of awkward silence, Victor spoke up again. "... Sir Topham Hatt told me that you've been working very hard lately and that's why you're here to get repaired." Victor strained a fake smile now, trying his best to get through to Edward, but the tension in the Steamworks was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. He knew Edward didn't want to talk, but the Fat Controller asked him to at least try to snap Edward out of this state, so he tried to no avail. Edward started crying even more, looking out into the night.

'Please come home... please come home, James..'  Edward said over and over in his mind as he looked out at the night covered landscape, hoping to see him again. He was an emotion mess and he knew it. Edward hated feeling like this, it made him feel useless. Oh how he wanted to get out of the steamworks and go searching for James again, but all he could do now was hold onto an ever fading hope that James would come home to him again.

After Sir Topham Hatt left the steamworks that night, he was in his office making phone call after phone call to different railway workers he knew on the mainland, hoping at least one of them had an idea of where James was or if he was okay. Much to his frustration and worry, no one had seen or heard from James nor his driver and fireman after they got done with their job. As far as he could find out, they were on the mainline, heading back home. No one saw them switch onto the abandon tracks. It would be an absolute miracle if anyone would ever find James.

A week flew by and Edward was out of the Steamworks, trying to get his mind back on working. He slowly got a bit better emotionally it seemed with time, he did miss James very much, but the situation was out of his control. He knew Sir Topham Hatt was trying his best to locate James, Edward had to trust his boss. He had no other choice.

A week turned into a month with still no word on James' whereabouts. Everyone was on edge about the whole situation, especially when it came to Edward. They knew to avoid speaking of the subject around him, but it got to the point where no engine felt comfortable with talking to Edward at all. Even though the old engine insisted he was fine, everyone knew better. Just like it was in the steamworks, the tension was always high around Edward. It made everyone very uncomfortable.

"Yes... yes I know.. you're probably right.. I should take a trip to the mainland and look myself..." Sir Topham Hatt spoke on the phone, pinching the bridge of his nose.  Edward was sitting outside at Knapford, eavesdropping in on every single word the Fat Controller spoke over the phone. He smiled a bit, knowing this would be the perfect opportunity to start his search for James again. He just had to get over that huge hurdle of convincing Sir Topham Hatt to pick him to be the engine he takes with him to the mainland. 

As soon as the Fat Controller stepped out of his office, Edward began speaking. "Hello, Sir, you're looking very splendid in your suit today! I'm glad you're running the railway!" He beamed, trying to get on his good side, a little trick he learned from James awhile ago. "Ah... Hello, Edward. I see you're done early with your jobs.." Sir Topham Hatt chuckled nervously, knowing what question was coming next. He was no fool. The Fat Controller knew Edward was eavesdropping earlier. "Yes, sir! That's what really useful engines do! I saw you talking on the phone.. do you have another job I could possibly do?" Edward beamed. "Oh.. well.. not really.." Sir Topham Hatt coughed, scratching the back of his head. "Please, sir! I know what you said on the phone! Let me take you to the mainland! I need to go with you and you know it!" Edward begged now. "Oh Edward, please don't put me in this position. You know as well as I do that you're not emotionally ready for this.." Edward looked offended by that. "I am ready! I am tired of sitting around here while James is lost somewhere, possibly hurt or worse!! I am not asking you this time.. I am telling you... You WILL let me take you to the mainland and you WILL let me look for James!!!!" Edward screamed, his voice echoing throughout the station, making everyone freeze with shock and fear. Even Gordon shuddered a bit.

 Sir Topham Hatt gulped, taking a step back. "S-sure, Edward.. whatever you say." In all the years the Edward worked on his railway, the Fat Controller never seen Edward have an outburst like that. It legitimately scared him.


	5. The Search is On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward is finally on the mainland to search for James. Will he ever find him and be reunited with the one he loves? Only time will tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be a very short chapter, I know, but I've already wrote this whole fic weeks ago and the next few paragraphs center around James so it wouldn't make much sense to be in this chapter. I do hope to get the rest of this fic posted soon so it'll be done for y'all to read in its entirety.

Sir Topham Hatt looked out Edward's cab, remaining silent as they went to the mainland. He dare not say anything to the determined tender engine. Nothing was going to stop Edward from trying to find James. The Fat Controller kept his eyes peeled, trying to find any clues to James' whereabouts.

They searched and searched until the day turned into night. It was really late now and Sir Topham Hatt wanted to call it a night. "Edward.. I think we need to sto-" "NO!!! I AM NOT STOPPING!!! YOU MAY NOT CARE ABOUT JAMES, BUT I DO!!!" Edward snapped in response. The Fat Controller sighed, sitting on the floor of Edward's cab. "We'll just have to wait until he runs outta coal and water then..." Charlie spoke up. Sir Topham Hatt nodded in agreement, trying to take a small nap.

Edward covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time, but he was nowhere near where James was. The red tender engine managed to get deep into the remote areas of the mainland before crashing. He was in a place no human or engine had been in years, but that would eventually change. Soon enough Edward was running out of coal and water. He came to a stop in a siding, sighing. He was exhausted and soon fell asleep, along with his driver, fireman, and Sir Topham Hatt.

The next morning, Edward was stocked with fresh water and coal again and they were soon off on their search for the day. This routine continued day in and day out for weeks before Sir Topham Hatt had to put a stop to it. Edward fought with his boss every step of the way. He did not want to leave the mainland, but no real work was getting done on the Island of Sodor while they were gone. The Fat Controller forced Edward to go back to the Island. The tender engine refused to work when they got back so Sir Topham Hatt had to make a deal with him. Edward would work his jobs each day then at night, the Fat Controller would allow him to travel back to the mainland to look for James for a bit before he would have to come back to the island to get back to work. This didn't give Edward enough time to really get far into the mainland to look for James, much to his annoyance, but he still tried.


	6. All hope is lost?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Times are changing and all hope seems lost in ever finding James and helping Edward heal emotionally.

It had been over a year now since James crashed and he had lost all hope in being found. "... this is it... I'm done... even if someone found me, I'm too damaged and rusted to be repaired..." James sobbed, feeling the rust that had formed all over his face and body. He accepted his fate and tried to make the best of what time he had left, singing to himself.

A year became two years.. then three, James was long dead now. Unrecognizable as all of his paint peeled off and rust took its place in a lot of spots. He died thinking that this would be his final resting place and that Edward had forgotten about him.

A lot had changed on the mainland in those three years, growth of wealth had caused a bloom of the population and soon cities were being built. A big corporation had bought the land James was on and was planning on building an amusement park there. James was finally going to be found.

The corporation hired a contracting company to work on the project. There was a crew out, inspecting the land now. They finally reached the other side of the big, steep hill, overlooking the valley. "Hey.. what's that?" One of the workers asked, noticing a barely visible object through the fog. They carefully scaled down the rocky incline, eventually making it down to the bottom. They all gasped at what they saw. "Its an old steam engine.." one worker spoke. "How long do you think it's been down here?" Another worker asked, climbing into the cab. No remains of John and Gus were left. They were cremated in the explosion and their ashes had since blown away in the wind. "I'd say this old boy has been down here for years. He's in pretty bad shape..." One worker stated. 

The foreman of the crew ended up calling his brother, who ran a scrapyard a few miles away. He gladly took James, keeping him in a building at the scrapyard. He loved collecting old steam engine parts. It was a rarity that he would actually get an almost fully assembled steam engine. "I like you.. once I get the time and the money, I'll try to rebuild you." That dream never came to be true. James continued to sit, abandoned in the scrapyard for a number of years.

The mainland wasn't the only place that had experienced several changes. Sir Topham Hatt found it virtually impossible to work with Edward anymore. He made the hardest decision of his life, selling Edward to a railway on the mainland. Both the Fat Controller and Edward thought this was for the best. At least the blue tender engine thought his chances of finding James would increase if he would work on the mainland, but that wasn't the case. The controller for the mainland railways was relentless on poor Edward, forcing him to work on nearly impossible tasks day in and day out with little to no breaks in between. He was even more miserable than before. They worked him to death, eventually sending him to the scrapyard after a few years on the mainland.

Back on the island, the years flew by and progress had continued. The old steam engines were replaced with more modern engines and time had made Sir Topham Hatt into an elderly man. It was his time to retire, passing down his role as the controller of the railway to his grandson, Stephen who became the new Fat Controller. He always had a soft spot in his heart for steam engines and once he took over the railway, he made sure he did a rebuild of all the old steam engines, preserving them for the new generation of islanders to enjoy.

Stephen was having lunch with his family one day and decided to bring up a brand new idea to his grandfather. "I've been thinking... I have restored every steam engine that worked on your railway grandfather and made them really useful yet again, but now I want to move onto a new project... building a brand new steam engine of my own." He spoke his idea. "Stephen, that sounds like a wonderful idea, but don't get discouraged if you can't find a way to do it. Steam engines are no longer being built anymore. Finding parts is gonna be next to impossible." Sir Topham Hatt reminded him. "I know, grandfather, but I would at least like to try. I've always wanted to build my own, unique steam engine from scratch." Stephen sighed happily, his mind was set. Tomorrow he would go to the steamworks and discuss his plans with the workers.

The next day, Stephen had the meeting and he soon had every crew member at the steamworks on board with his idea. They were excited to start the project, but there was only one problem, they only had small factory parts to fix steam engines, but nothing bigger like a boiler or tender. They would have to order them. Stephen began making phone calls to several factories that built engines around the area, but none of them dealed with steam engines anymore. Those parts of their factories had been since shut down. Stephen sighed, hanging up the telephone, he was beginning to lose hope in his dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know that Stephen isn't supposed to be the 2nd Fat Controller, his father is supposed to be, but I don't know much about Stephen's father, I only know info about his grandfather (who is the current Fat Controller in the TV series) and Stephen himself so I decided to skip over Sir Topham Hatt II and go straight to Stephen (Sir Topham Hatt III)


	7. Bittersweet reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Stephen as the new Fat Controller and him planning to build a new steam engine of his own, even more changes are coming to the Island of Sodor.. changes that will be very bittersweet for everyone who works on the railway.

Stephen sat in his office, working on some paperwork when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in." He spoke still jotting down a few notes. One of the workers from the steamworks came in with a beaming smile on his face. "Sir, I solved our problem! I called around and found out that a scrapyard on the mainland have two old steam engine bodies sitting in one of their buildings. They are in bad shape but I think they may possibly work for our project with a little TLC." Stephen got up from his seat, getting his coat on. "Let's go take a trip to the mainland then!" Stephen exclaimed excitedly.

Stephen and his worker walked into the scrapyard, looking around. "Are you two here for the steam engines?" An elderly gentleman asked, walking outside. He was the owner of the scrapyard who took James all those years ago. "Yes we are. May we see them?" Stephen responded. The owner nodded, leading them into the large building. Stephen observed the old engines for a moment or so before smiling. "These are perfect! We'll take them!"

Once they got back to the steamworks on Sodor, the men quickly went to work, taking bits and pieces off of both engines and making a brand new engine out of them. It took them months of hard work, but it eventually paid off. The new engine was perfect. He was a tender engine, with a royal purple livery and a beaming smile that seemed so familiar to Stephen. He loved him. "I can't wait for you to meet my grandfather.. He'll love you!" he told his engine. "I can't wait to meet him too sir, it would be an honor." The engine spoke.

Later on in the day, Stephen came back with Sir Topham Hatt. "Here he is, grandfather! Isn't he amazing?!" He exclaimed, all giddy. The engine blushed, smiling wide at Sir Topham Hatt. "Hello, sir.. it's nice to meet you. My name is Felix." The engine spoke so kindly. "It's nice to meet you too, Felix..." Sir Topham Hatt replied, raising an eyebrow. He slowly hobbled around the engine, getting a closer look at him. "Um Stephen.. where did you get the parts for this engine?" He asked his grandson. "From a scrapyard on the mainland.. why?" Stephen responded. "This engine... seems familiar to me..." he whispered, getting in the engine's cab. Sir Topham Hatt examined the old gauges that the workers decided to keep from the original engine. He noticed a small 'E2' engraved in the brass on the back of the one gauge. "...Edward... its Edward..." Sir Topham Hatt smiled, almost getting teary eyed. "What do you mean?" Stephen asked his grandfather. "These gauges.. this cab.. all those parts came from Edward." Sir Topham Hatt answered. "Ohhhh that's why he looked familiar to me when I saw him at the scrapyard. I had completely forgotten about Edward." Gasped Stephen, helping his grandfather out of the cab. "I.. I can't believe it.. after all these years..." Sir Topham Hatt sobbed happily, glad to at least have a part of his old engine back.

"So Stephen, what was the other engine you picked up from the scrapyard?" Sir Topham Hatt asked. "I'm not sure where he came from or the story behind him.. all I know is that he was a L&YR Class 28." Stephen answered. Sir Topham Hatt's eyes went wide as he quickly went back to inspecting the engine again. "What's the matter now, grandfather???" Stephen questioned, following him. "James was a L&YR Class 28, Stephen..  that engine you picked up may have been him.. I hope its him.." Sir Topham Hatt spoke quickly, looking through all the spare parts that were still laying in the corner of the steamworks. He was looking for any indications that this was James. Finally he got what he wanted, for in the pile of scrapped parts Sir Topham Hatt found gauges with a 'J5' engraved on them. Sir Topham Hatt broke down crying. "It's him, Stephen.. its really him. We found James.." he choked out. "After all these years......" Stephen murmured, putting his one arm around his grandfather. "Why are they crying?" The new, purple clad steam engine asked one of the workers, not understanding. "It's a story they'll have to tell you themselves later." The worker replied, having a happy grin on his face.

"So... I guess I technically created their son in a way..." Stephen lightheartedly chuckled. "It would appear so." Sir Topham Hatt chortled. "Wow... I'm still in shock. I never thought we would ever see James or Edward again.." Stephen spoke. "I know.. it's a very pleasant surprise." Sir Topham Hatt sighed happily, staring at Felix as he chuffed out of the steamworks for a test run. "Welcome home Edward and James.... welcome back home.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, there's the end! Hope you enjoyed my first fic! I do plan on writing more fics in the future! Thanks for reading! ^-^

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic and the first time using AO3 so bare with me, I'm still learning. ^^' I hope you all enjoy the trip on the feels train tho lol.


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